Hiking · Independent or Private Guided
Huangshan stone steps, a restored Great Wall ridge or the Tiger Leaping Gorge high trail. We plan the logistics around your fitness, weather and open sections.
Independent
We plan the route and book hotels, trains and tickets; you travel on your own and add a guide for the days you choose.
Choose IndependentPrivate Guided
An English-speaking private guide and a private car throughout, for early starts and the days you wait for light.
Choose Private GuidedFrom the China Guide
China Guide articles on mountains, gorges and the Great Wall: routes, open sections and when to go. Browse by region or by terrain.
Yunnan
Hike Tiger Leaping Gorge (Hutiaoxia) independently from Lijiang. High trail, one night, Jinsha River. Independent or Private Guided, not a group gorge tour.
Shanghai & Jiangnan
Hike and photograph Huangshan (Yellow Mountain) independently. Granite peaks, sea of clouds, stone steps. Independent or Private Guided, not a group sunrise tour.
Beijing & the North
How an independent photographer shoots Mutianyu Great Wall in Beijing: restored Ming dynasty battlements, watchtower rhythm, cable car and toboggan access, and autumn ridge frames — Independent or Private Guided, not a group photo tour.
All 39 guides
What we arrange
Each experience fits inside a private route. Tell us which ones interest you and we shape the days around them.
Lijiang · Walking route confirmed before travel
Walk the high trail on the Haba flank with a guesthouse night on the path. The upper-gorge river walkway is a separate visit; trail conditions and closed sections need checking before the walk.
Huangshan · Walking route confirmed before travel
Cableways and carved stone paths lead to the granite ridge. A mountain night leaves room for dawn; the walking route follows weather, fitness and the sections open that day.
Beijing · Walking route confirmed before travel
Take the cable car to the restored ridge and walk between the watchtowers at your own pace. Stay within the open section and its barriers; the unrestored wall beyond is off-limits.
Sample itineraries
Starting points for your trip, with Independent and Private Guided reference prices. Experiences not included in the published days can be requested as additions.
7 daysHangzhou · Wuzhen · Huangshan
Per person · 2026 reference price for 2 sharing · excl. international flights
10 daysKunming · Dali · Lijiang · Shangri-La
Per person · 2026 reference price for 2 sharing · excl. international flights
9 daysBeijing · Xi'an · Shanghai
Per person · 2026 reference price for 2 sharing · excl. international flights
Per person · reference price for 2 travelers sharing · international flights not included. Your final price depends on hotels, car arrangements and what you ask for — usually a little above this, sometimes more. 2026 reference prices.
All sample itinerariesYour consultant for hiking trips
Destination Specialist
Speaks Mandarin, English, and Italian
Send your dates and what you want to see. Your trip brief notes that you asked to plan with Kiri Yang.
Six hiking registers
The mountain that defined the visual language of classical Chinese landscape painting, granite peaks above cloud, pine trees on ledges, cable cars that still leave you with serious walking. UNESCO World Heritage. Spring and autumn give better visibility than summer.
A two or three day trail above the upper Yangtze gorge, between Jade Dragon Snow Mountain and Haba Snow Mountain. One of the world's great hiking routes by drop depth and trail quality. Most travelers take the high route; the low path requires river-level navigation.
Alpine grassland on a summit ridge above 1,900 meters, with tent camping among sea-of-clouds views. Less visited than Huangshan or Zhangjiajie, and significantly less crowded for travelers who do not need the famous name to justify the climb.
The wild and restored sections between Jinshanling and Simatai offer a half-day to full-day traverse across unrestored battlements. The experience of the wall with few other people present and crumbling brick underfoot is different from the restored sections near Beijing.
The high-altitude landscape of western Sichuan, grasslands, monasteries, and cultural routes through Tibetan-influenced communities at elevation. The combination of landscape scale and cultural depth rewards travelers who build in acclimatization time and work with a guide who knows the roads.
A UNESCO Buddhist mountain with temple stays, monkey encounters, and a trail system that ranges from cable car to multi-day climb. The summit is often in cloud, the journey is the point, not the view.
China's trails reward those willing to leave the cable car. Specialist routing matters, knowing which trail closes in rain, which monastery accepts overnight guests, which season gives the light you came for.
Answers from the published guides linked below.
No. The high trail follows the Haba flank with guesthouses along the path. The upper-gorge ticketed river walkway is a separate sightseeing visit.
Read the guideA mountain night gives you access to dawn without starting from the valley. Cableways, weather and closed sections determine the route; check the current notices before ascending.
Read the guideStay within the open restored section and respect its barriers. The unrestored Jiankou section beyond is off-limits.
Read the guideTrip brief
Your dates, interests and preferred pace. A specialist replies within 24 hours, and the first reply comes from a person. Every trip is quoted individually.
